The Other Unexpected Journey
by Switchblade27
Summary: Odd number chapters are written by me (Nessime), evens by AchievingNirvana (Faniare). Last chapter is by me as Bilbo. A pair of elven bandits travel to the Shire in search of a hobbit, Beryll, who will help them on a quest for gold. Instead, they get tangled up in an adventure with the dwarves to whom the gold rightfully belongs.
1. Chapter 1:Nessime

Chapter 1: Nessime  
Thwack! My first arrow hit a nearby tree. Thwack! The next split its predecessor in half, with a loud cracking sound.  
"Nessime!" Faniare shouted, running towards our small campsite. "What's happening? Are we under attack?"  
"BORED!" I shouted, letting an arrow fly, missing her head by a hair. She ducked, as another arrow pierced the bag of food she was holding, its contents spilling out onto the ground.  
"You idiot!" she sighed, burying her head in her hands. I smirked.  
"I'll clean it up," I said, piling the assortment of berries, mushrooms, and vegetation in my arms and dumping them in an empty bag,  
"Is this your way of saying we need to keep moving?"  
"Yes! There's nothing here for us. We need to stay on the outskirts of towns to catch travelers as they leave. We're too distant."  
"Perhaps we should head towards Middle Earth? There's a lot of cities there. Rich cities, at that," suggested Faniare  
"A bandit's dream," I sighed longingly. "What of Dale? I heard there's endless riches there, enough to get us anything we'd ever want."  
"Well, yes," Faniare began.  
"Why aren't we headed there, then?" I interjected happily. "I'll start packing!"  
"Because of the dragon that protects the treasure. You didn't think that the dwarves left there of their own accord, did you?"  
"A dragon, you say?" I asked, my pulse beginning to quicken at the very mention of adventure. "We can take one measly dragon!"  
"Yes, but we'll need someone to help us. Someone we can trust. We can't do this alone."  
"I may know a certain hobbit. She's a Fallohide, a friend of Fognae."  
"Fognae? I like the Fallohides. They're much more...open to us elves then the other hobbits. Not as skittish, either."  
"Remember the girl I used to hunt with? She was killed by a boar that attacked her camp. Beryll, the hobbit, saved her."  
"So, we'll be heading towards Middle Earth then?"  
"I think she lives in the Shire now," I said, starting to disassemble our tents and load all our belongings onto our horses, Destiny and Melody.  
Soon enough, we were in the Shire, asking around for a Beryll Merridew. Dismounting Melody and patting her nose, I walked up to a particularly neat looking hobbit-hole. As I approached the door, an excited Harfoot burst through the door and jumped over his fence, running with a speed only the most determined hobbit could reach.  
"Where are you going?" Faniare called after him.  
"On an adventure!" he whooped as he ran into the forest. Little did I know that we'd be meeting this hobbit again very soon.


	2. Chapter 2:Faniare

Chapter 2: Faniare  
"Too bad we couldn't have recruited him," I sighed. "He definitely has the spirit." I watched as the small hobbit ran through the Shire, jumping around others on horses and running through foliage. I kept my eyes on him until I couldn't see him any longer.  
"You're right about that," said Nessime, pushing her black hair back behind her ear. She moved onto the next hobbit-hole and knocked politely on the door. An older female hobbit opened it."Hello, can I help you?" she looked up at us in fear. I smiled, trying not to be intimidating."Good day," said Nessime. "We are looking for a hobbit named Beryll Merridew. Do you, perhaps, know her?"  
The old hobbit scratched her head. "Merridew...Merridew...sounds familiar. Why do you require her company?""Business question.""Hm...very well. Miss Merridew lives on that end of the Shire." She pointed across a field of animals. "Good day to you."  
I jumped onto Destiny's back and scruffed her long mane. She whinnied. "Let's go, Nessime."

"Good day, Beryll," said Nessime as her friend opened the door."Hello, Nessime. What brings you here? Come in." she allowed us to enter her hobbit-hole. I ducked under the rather short doorway as I entered. We sat in the parlor room as Beryll made us tea.  
"Again I ask- what brings you here?""Well," I began. "We would like to know if you'd be willing to go on a..." I searched for a word. "...journey...with us. Across Middle-Earth."  
She dropped the teacup.  
"Me? A journey? For what? You know I'm not-""Beryll, you saved a village from a wild boar. You would come in handy," said Nessime. "Besides, what have you got to stay here in the Shire for? Nothing. No family, and few friends."  
"Eh, Ness, what do we need a hobbit for?" I asked sarcastically, hoping to annoy Beryll."I've got better skills than a hundred of 'em!" replied Nessime, playing along.  
Beryll grunted. "Fine! Let me pack my things." She went to her bedroom. I smiled. "Not hard to anger a hobbit...""Or an elf. She was getting on my nerves from the second we walked in." Nessime played with a tassel hanging from the curtains.  
Beryll returned a few minutes later. She had a bag on her back. "Might I ask you why you're traveling?""Hm. You're harmless. I suppose we should tell you. We are going to Dale to find gold- it is guarded by a dragon."  
Now, Beryll was a good hobbit- she was kind and helpful- but she was incessantly greedy. When she heard the word "gold", her eyes lit up."Gold, you say?" she smiled."Yes. Lots and lots of gold.""Count me in!"  
Beryll locked the door to her hole and followed us outside. She mounted her pony and followed Destiny and Melody. I stroked Destiny's mane and she trotted down the path."Didn't take much to get her along!" said Nessime. I laughed. The sunlight reflected on my curly hair, causing it to tint a light shade of blue- something the other elves could never explain. I played with a curl as Destiny pranced through the fields.  
"Do you know where to start?" asked Nessime. "Yes, over here looks quite right." I lead Destiny down a small path which lead into a dark forest. "I'm only coming for the gold," remarked Beryll. "I do not wish to endanger my life for a pair of bandits. Just letting you know." "We're not bandits," I snapped. "We're- professional thieves.""So you're bandits.""We are not bandits, bug!"  
She silenced herself. We went quietly through the woods before hearing a distant yelling."What's that?" asked Beryll. "I don't know. Check it out, bug. You're small.""Don't call me 'bug'." "You're right. Too big. How about 'flea'?""Quit it, Faniare. Let's all go." Nessime nudged me.  
We approached the source of the screaming- dwarves."Oh,dear. They're being attacked," said Beryll."Do we help them? I never liked dwarves very much," I commented.  
Nessime shrugged, and thought. A scream pierced the silence, and she jumped down from the horse."Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3:Nessime

Chapter Three: Nessime  
"Can't we go any faster?" I whined impatiently. That hobbit, Beryll,was slowing us down. "Don't we have dwarves to rescue?"  
"You just want to rescue them so you can take their things,"Faniare laughed. "Calm down."  
"No! I will not calm down!" I shouted, running ahead, but facing backwards towards Faniare and Beryll. "I want a taste of blood! It's been so long since I've been in a proper fight."  
"What about last week?"  
"What? That row with the bears? You saw me take them out! One shot to the heart, all it takes."  
Beryll's hands began to shake nervously. What happened the Beryll that I hunted for wild boar with?  
"How about we send the bug in first, to see what's going on?"  
Beryll just whimpered.  
"Come on, Ness," Fanaire said laughing. "You go first."  
"That's what I was waiting to hear!"  
I shimmied up a nearby rock, from where I could scout out the scene. The dwarves looked like they were trapped inside a cave by...bears? Ugh. I'd seen enough bears. This was too easy. Slowly, I nocked an arrow into my bow and drew it back slowly. Releasing the arrow, I killed the bear in one shot, then clambered down the rock towards the dwarves.  
"We could have had him!" a taller one shouted at me. I laughed down at him.  
"As if," I said, grinning as I pulled the arrow out of the dead bear's back.  
"Let me handle this," said a small voice from behind the dwarves. A short Harfoot pushed his way through the dwarves and stood in front of me, gazing upwards. He was cute, for a hobbit, with his messy curls and little upturned nose.  
"You saved us," he began. "Thank you. We're indebted to you, so anything we can do to help, just ask." He seemed nervous talking to me. Perhaps it was because I'd killed a bear with one arrow. Or maybe it was because most mortal creatures can't resist elven beauty. Either way, I was pleased. "Hey! You're that hobbit from the Shire! The 'on an adventure' one!" I exclaimed, weakly imitating his nasaly, high pitched voice.  
"Uh, yeah..."  
"Faniare! It's safe for you and the bug to come out!" I called.  
Faniare and Beryll cautiously emerged from behind the rock.  
"Who is the leader of this company?" Faniare demanded sternly.  
"Looks like it's this one," I said, grabbing the taller dwarf by the shoulder and shovinh him before Faniare.  
"Yes, I'm the leader of this company. Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror. Many thanks to your...ahem...colleague, but we certainly could have handled the situation ourselves."  
I snorted. As if any of these little brats could take bear out like I did. And the way that tall one was talking was so unnerving. Hadn't I just saved his life?  
"What is your business here?" Fanaire continued to interrogate Thorin.  
"We're headed towards Dale, to reclaim the mountain from Smaug."  
"Oh, well, we have something in common!" started Beryll, but I smothered her with my hand before she could continue.  
"Oh really?" I said, flashing Thorin my best smile. I could be very convincing when I wanted to. "Maybe, since I helped you with your bear problems, you could share some of the gold with us? Just a wee bit? I'm sure you'll have some to share?"  
"Fine," Thorin said, flustered.  
I laughed. "Let's be off, then!"


	4. Chapter 4:Faniare

Chapter 4: Faniare

Nessime and I jumped onto our horses, following the rest of the company into the forest. It had quickly turned night, and it was hard to see. Thorin lead the group, seemingly angry at the fact that we were coming along. Nessime nudged me."I regret bringing Beryll. Their friend-""The 'going on adventure' one?" I asked."That's him. Very useful. We didn't need Beryll all along.""Well, we did offer her gold."Gold that's not ours."  
I looked up at the sky, unsure of what to say."Professional thieves."  
We laughed.

The company settled down for the night at a nearby clearing, near a cliff edge that lead deeper into the forest. I tied Destiny to a tree with the rest of the horses. She nudged me, her big expressive eyes looking tired.  
"Not bad for the first day," said Thorin, looking over the cliff. One of the other dwarves started a fire. He sat next to it, some others joining. Some of the older ones set up what seemed to be blankets against the trees.  
"Let's tell stories!" suggested one of the younger-looking dwarves. One with blonde hair and a rather long nose sat down next to him and shook his head. I took a seat next to the story-telling one.  
"You know," said the long-nosed one, "You're the older one. You're supposed to be more mature. Not me.""I am more mature! You're like a baby.""You wanted to-""Baby.""-tell stories-""Baby."  
I laughed, amused. the two dwarves squabbled for a moment before they were silenced by Thorin.  
"Enough," he said simply.  
"Are you brothers?" I asked the story-teller.  
"Unfortunately-" -Thorin shot him a look-" "...yes. We are."  
The story-teller looked at me briefly. He had an extremely handsome, young face (considering most of the others looked fairly old). Long, brown hair ran down from the sides of his head and past his shoulders. I felt my face get hot, so I looked away.  
Nessime was speaking with the long-nosed one. He turned to me, addressing both of us.  
"I'm Fili. That's my brother, Kili."  
I held in a laugh at their rhyming names.  
"I'm older!" declared Kili, finger-combing his long brown hair.  
Beryll rested her chin on her knees, which where pulled up to her face. She didn't look happy.

"...and when the guy got up, he actually tried to bite me, thinking he was actually a lycan!" Kili's tale made the others laugh. His dark eyes gleamed with happiness. The other dwarves laughed. Thorin stared off the edge of the cliff, looking sad.  
Kili introduced me to the rest of the dwarves, who all conveniently had rhyming names as well.  
Thorin walked over, annoyed by the story-telling and laughter. He stepped close to the fire.  
"Here's a story for all of you. One day, there was a group of dwarves traveling to the Mountain. Since they didn't shut up and stop telling stories, a bunch of bloodthirsty wolves heard them. The wolves devoured every single dwarf, starting with the youngest." He looked at Fili. "They tore the youngest to shreds, then moved on to his brother, the second youngest. Their insides were everywhere, and some fell off the cliff. Once all of the dwarves were killed, the wolves ate all the meat inside of them. Blood ran down their faces and spilled down the hills. Fresh, rotting corpses of dwarves, two hobbits and two elves were laid clumsily on the mountaintop. The air reeked of blood. And the dwarves never achieved their goal."  
He clasped his hands together and smiled.  
"The end."  
Kili and Fili looked at each other nervously.  
"Good night, Uncle," said Kili. He tucked himself into a pile of blankets and turned over.  
I threw down my things near him and tried to sleep.  
"Thorin's your uncle?" I asked Kili. He rolled his eyes.  
"Yes."  
I laughed as quietly as possible.


	5. Chapter 5:Nessime

Chapter Five: Nessime  
"Hey, hey Faniare," I whispered, shaking the body of my slumbering friend in a mad attempt to wake her up.  
"What time is it?" she muttered? Opening her pale grey eyes a but wider, she looked up at the sky. "The sun's not hardly up," she groaned.  
"Sit up!" I urged her.  
"What?"  
"Listen," I said in a hushed, nervous growl. "I don't think these dwarves can be trusted."  
"Why not?" said Faniare, obviously trying to hide the surprise that was oozing from her pores like sweat.  
"You know how dwarves are! Greedy! And all this stuff about Thorin having the right to all this gold...it doesn't seem fair. Maybe we should split from them. If we get there ahead of them, we can have anything we want."  
"Yes, but-"  
"But what? This isn't about that Kili fellow, is it?"  
"No, no, definately not." Faniare's tan cheeks turned a shade of light pink.  
"Well, if we want to get there before them, we have to ditch Beryll. She's too slow."  
"Alright," began Faniare, warming up to the idea. "I never liked her anyway."  
"And that's why we need Bilbo to come with us!" I said conclusively.  
"I see what's going on here!"  
"You like the harfoot!" "I do not! That's crazy! An elf and a hobbit? Never," I snorted in feign disgust.  
"Well, if you're so intent on him coming with us, we should keep traveling with the dwarves. I'm sure we can work something out."  
"Fine."  
"Now goodnight, Nessime."  
"Night, Faniare."  
As Faniare settled herself underneath the blankets, I heard a relieved sigh from Kili's direction. 'He'd been listening!' I thought to myself. But then again, if he was committed to Faniare, he'd never tell anyone of the conversation he'd overheard. And it was nice to know we had a dwarf who was definitely on our side. I lay back down, trying not to think of Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End.


	6. Chapter 6:Faniare

Chapter 6: Faniare  
I was awakened very early in the morning, being shaken by a pair of hands."Faniare, wake up." It sounded like Kili. I opened my eyes. He was sitting next to me, his face white.  
"Kili, what's wrong?" I asked. I sat up wearily and rubbed my eyes.  
"I thought I heard something."  
"That's not why you woke me up."  
"You were having a nightmare." his face turned timid, like that of a child."Oh. Thanks."  
We sat in silence for a moment and watched the sunrise from the distance. Slowly, I felt Kili put his arm around me. Strangely, I was not uncomfortable by his gesture. His arm felt like it was shaking.  
"Kili, what's the matter?"  
"Nothing!" his voice erupted suddenly, as if he was trying to convince himself of it. "Something's wrong." I turned towards him, and his arm dropped to his side. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment.  
"You just met me," he said. "You know nothing. I'm fine." he got up and walked over to his brother, who was awake already. They spoke quietly as I stared off the cliff, alone. A wave of loneliness swept over me, and I climbed back down to see if Nessime had woken. She was reading a book, wrapped up tightly in the blankets. Her black hair was tangled. She glanced up at me.  
"Hello. Sleep well?"  
"Apparently not."  
She looked at me, confused, and sat up.  
"You know, I was thinking about our conversation earlier," she said. "I'm sorry I upset you."  
"You didn't upset me. I was just surprised, is all."  
I noted Beryll a little but ahead, talking with the other hobbit (whose name turned out to be Bilbo Baggins, a name that I find quite funny). She squealed with excitement while he chewed his lip nervously, not seeming interested. His small, cute-looking curls bounced up and down as he moved his head. He kept glancing at Nessime.  
"That's my cue." she went over, leaving me alone again.  
The dwarves packed up their belongings, and set out again. As we traveled along through the forest, it began to rain. A light, gentle mist sprayed our belongings. It was refreshing.  
I felt somebody roughly grab my shoulder.  
"Thorin!?" I guessed, turning around. Destiny walked next to me (I decided to give her a break). He glared at me, dark eyes looming over me like shadows.  
"I heard you had a little talk with your friend last night," he growled. "What was it about?"  
I knew that he was already aware of what we spoke about. "It was just a conversation, Thorin. Nothing more. We have no intent to leave you."  
"Your friend does."  
"Well, I don't. Move along."  
He shoved me into a nearby tree. Somebody gasped.  
"I'm the king! You don't tell me what to do!" he yelled. I stared at him in a horrified silence, and he let go of me. My shaking hands re-gripped the reigns around Destiny's neck. She whinnied, and I walked alongside her, staring at the floor. My eyes were getting blurred up with tears. Was I seriously going to cry? I was embarrassed, angry and lonely.  
A small hand touched my side. I turned around. It was Baggins.  
"Are...are you alright?" he asked, pressing his lips together awkwardly.  
"I'm okay, Baggins. Don't worry yourself."  
"Actually...just 'Bilbo' is fine, if you don't mind."  
I looked at him. Was he afraid of me?  
"Okay, Bilbo. Thanks for caring. I'm okay." I tried to sound as gentle as I could.  
"Thorin gets a bit...um..." he thought. "A bit unsettled. It's nothing against you, you know. And, ah..." he paused and lowered his voice. "Your friend Beryll is, ah...quite the character."  
I glanced at him before laughing.  
"What? Is that funny?" he asked.  
"Yes, it's very funny!" I wiped a tear from my eye. Nessime approached Bilbo.  
"You two getting along?" she asked.  
I nodded. Nessime put her hand on Bilbo's head, which wasn't hard for her, considering his very short stature. He grinned and continued walking, before I heard a scream from the back of the group.  
"Oh, dear," I heard Fili say. "There goes Ori..."  
Nessime turned, and her eyes got big. "Oh...my..." for lack of a better word, she directed the others. "RUN! Faniare and I will hold them off!"  
I turned around to see the enemy.


	7. Chapter 7:Nessime

Chapter Seven: Nessime  
"Troooooooooolllllll in the dungeeeeoooooon!" I shouted, shooting arrows backwards over my head in a showy manner.  
The dwarves stopped their scampering for a moment to look at me.  
"What? It's from a book," I commented, my haughty air frightening them.  
We continued running as the troll lumbered after us, swinging its flabby arms and knocking over the occasional dwarf. I noted Faniare in a nearby tree grinning like a child. Pulling out a small throwing dagger from her bag, she took aim, and hit the troll square in the eye. I snickered as the troll looked around for its attacker, bloodied and confused.  
Then, I just watched in awe and confusion as the troll began to bat itself in the head. The troll continued spinning in circles until it fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. A small figure climbed over the troll's head and stabbed it in the stomach, killing the fat beast.  
"Oh, Bilbo, you're such a hero!" Beryll said, swooning, and falling into the troll blood stained arms of none other than Bilbo Baggins. He must have been hanging on to the back of the troll's head.  
Faniare, practical as ever, was rummaging through the troll's gigantic food and supply pack, emerging with several sheepskins and an unnaturally large loaf of by a sudden jealousy, I stormed over towards Beryll and Bilbo. I ripped Beryll from Bilbo by her shirt collar, smiling pleasantly at Bilbo.  
"I'm just going to have a word with Beryll, I'll have her right back!"  
"Now look,"I growled, my tone becoming more and more sinister. I pulled her in close so I could see the fear in her eyes. "I know you've taken a liking to this Bilbo character, and I can see why, but trust me, you're no competition for me. He won't even want to look you in the eye. Now back off my hobbit unless you want to get left behind in this forest."  
Beryll squeaked and scurried off, not taking a second glance at Bilbo.  
"I'm going hunting," I announced. "And I'm taking Baggins with me."  
Thorin shot me a nasty look, which I gladly returned, adding a hurried "Yes, I'm coming back."  
Thorin dismissed us with a wave of his hand. I smiled at Bilbo, who ran over to untie his pony.  
"That won't be necessary," I called to him, mounting Melody and running my fingers through her mane. "You're coming with me, hobbit boy," I chuckled, offering him a hand. With much difficulty, the little hobbit clambered up onto Melody so he was seated in front of me.  
"Yah!" I screamed savagely as Melody took of into the forest. Bilbo clung to Melody's neck as she swiftly darted between trees.  
"Now, you've got a sharp eye, tell me when you see any animals," but Bilbo was too busy hanging on for dear life to notice. I didn't need any help hunting, in fact, I preferred hunting alone. I just wanted the hobbit to myself.  
I pulled my bow from behind me and nocked an arrow in place, waiting for something to shoot at.  
"Deer!" squeaked Bilbo timidly.  
I pointed my bow towards the flash of movement in the trees and released the arrow. I heard a loud grunt, then steered Melody in the direction of the deer.  
When we reached the place where the deer was, I screamed with excitement. I had hit it right in the eye!  
"Good catch, Bilbo," I said, bending nearly halfway over and planted a kiss atop his head. He smiled up at me, his face red with embarrassment. It had to have been the most adorable sight in the world.  
"Nessime! Bilbo!" Faniare's voice called out from a distance.  
"Come to join the hunt?" I inquired, a bit perturbed that my alone time with the hobbit boy had been disturbed.  
"No," she said disdainfully. "Fili and Kili are missing."  
"Can you fine your way back to camp?" I asked, turning towards Bilbo. He nodded. "Get some dwarves to fetch this deer, courtesy of Nessime. I'll be back. I just have two dwarves to rescue!"  
I jumped onto Melody and rode off alongside Faniare, the thrill of the chase pulsing through my veins once more.


	8. Chapter 8:Faniare

Chapter 8: Faniare  
"When did they go missing?" I asked Nessime as the horses clipped along. Destiny stopped short and pulled back her front legs."What's wrong?" I asked. I saw the trouble ahead and jumped off of the horse. Nessime readied an arrow to shoot next to me.  
"Orcs," whispered Nessime. They rode on hideous wolf-like beasts that growled viciously at anything that moved. They sniffed around curiously, probably picking up my scent. Spit poured from the wolf's mouth and onto the grass. The giant, pale-colored, stony-looking orc turned in my direction. An arrow shot out from behind me and straight into the orc's forehead. It winced and ripped it out with its giant fist.  
"Run!" said Nessime. She jumped onto her horse and galloped away. I ran to Destiny, but the orc's giant hammer beat me to her. It whipped the hammer out and slammed it down on my dear companion, who was crushed painfully under the stone. I started to run, horse blood splattered all over me. Tears stung at my eyes. Destiny had been my friend for a very long time.  
I ran as fast as I could before tiring out against a tree. A smaller orc grabbed my arm and yanked me back towards the wolves. I struggled maniacally, but the creature's iron grip would not let me go. I screamed for Nessime. The orc growled and brought me before the huge one. Its hot, rancid breath wafted over to me. I winced.  
The orcs spoke to each other in their native language. I picked up a few phrases, and decided that they weren't good.  
"This one's an elf," said one. "Probably came looking for the dwarves." "Looks like we have some extra blood for today!"They laughed."Suppose we should bring her back, too?" asked one."The more the merrier!"  
I yelped as the orc shoved me against the wolf-creature. The orc yelled something in my face and threw me carelessly into a wooden wagon attached to the leader of the pack's wolf-creature (I don't want to exactly call them wolves), where I finally saw a familiar face.  
Fili was sitting, curled up in the corner of the wagon. He looked scared. "Fili," I breathed, relieved. His long nose sat on his knees, which were pulled up to his face. He looked at me."I didn't intend on dying this young, you know."I tapped his shoulder."You won't. I promise."

I watched as the orcs wheeled the wagon quickly away. The wolves ran at an oddly fast speed. The trees of the forest were nothing but a blur around us."Where's you brother, Fili?" I asked the dwarf. He gestured to the other end of the wagon, where Kili was laying, shoved carelessly weaved through barrels of food. He had blood smeared across his face. I picked him up from in between the barrels. He didn't move.  
"What happened?" I asked Fili, holding Kili in my arms."The orcs happened." he looked spiteful. "And by the way, we're probably miles from the others by now. They'll never find us.""Don't be so pessimistic. They'll make their way.""I hope so." He wiped blood off of his brother's face.  
Fili looked like he was deep in thought as the trees whizzed by."He's not always a bad guy, you know..." he thought aloud."What?"He looked at me as if he was surprised that I could hear him."Thorin.""He pushed me against a tree and screamed in my face." "He's not always like that, you know. He's a great guy, most of the time.""Guess now isn't one of those times." I rubbed off dirt from Kili's hands.  
We sat in silence for a little while. Kili jumped up suddenly. He looked scared, his eyes wide. He noted his brother's prescence, and then mine. "What happened?" he asked. The wagon began to slow."Um...we got kidnapped by orcs. Sort of." Fili said. "I don't think 'kidnapped' is a strong enough word," I said. "They killed my horse. He smashed her with his stupid hammer."  
The wagon slowed down to a halt. The sky was black, and strange-shaped rocks were formed in arches along a cliffside. Dead, decaying trees sat near us. There were a few corpses laid neatly in a pile. The entire outside of the cliffside seemed to be covered in darkness.  
"Start with the youngest!" rasped a small orc. Kili and I glanced nervously at Fili."Not just yet," said another, watching the huge one with a careful eye. "I am sure he wants to question them," reasoned the small one.  
"Orcs never question," said Fili. "They kill.""Unless they want something," mumbled Kili quietly.  
"Stop talking!" yelled the medium-sized orc. "You're lucky we don't eat you now.""Ew!" I said. "Faniare." Kili shot me a look. I whirled around. The orc's hammer crashed down just as I jumped out of the way."Run!" yelled Fili."...or, at least...try to run!" he was taken by the giant orc and held over the cliff.  
"No!" screamed Kili. "Let him go!" The orc glared at Kili angrily and tossed Fili over to his sibling. Fili knocked into his brother, and both of them fell. I stood near the wagon, alone, and too afraid to move.  
"Get off of me, you fat lard!" I heard Kili whisper."I'm not fat!" declared Fili."But you're a lard!""Not a fat one. How about, 'Get off of me, you skinny lard?" "Shut up!"  
They scuffled. The giant orc stuck out his stony-looking foot, causing them to roll through a trapdoor in the rock. It came over to me and kicked me in the same manner. I slid down the pavement, and the side of the hammer slammed the back of my head into the stone as I fell, instantly blacking out wondering what would happen next.


	9. Chapter 9:Nessime

Chapter 9: Nessime  
Melody and I crept silently around the orc's camp and searched for a way in. The entire place was sealed, so we climbed up to a large overhang of land above the camp. Scanning the camp for any signs of Faniare or Fili and Kili, I noticed a small band of hefty, bludgeon wielding orcs leaving camp. The idiotic beasts had finally noticed I was gone. Luckily, the orcs' departure gave me an opportunity to see the security of the camp. The camp was surrounded by a temporary wall of sandbags held together by ropes, which the giant orcs climbed over with ease. The best way for me to get in was to jump down into the camp from where I stood.  
Taking a deep breath, I dug my heels into Melody and we took off, flying into the orc's camp. While we were still airborne, I shot at a few orcs to get their attention. Melody landed heavily, kicking down an orc with her strong hooves. I swiftly dismounted Melody, who continued bucking wildly, knocking several orcs unconscious.  
I sounded a bloodcurdling screech of a battle cry to alert the orcs of my presence as I whipped out my battle axe for close combat. I didn't run, but walked slowly, slashing through any orc that dared to cross my path. The blood shone against their pale flesh, and I thirsted to shed more. As the orcs realized that I was no force to be reckoned with, they stopped attacking and cowered before me. I showed no mercy, slicing off heads and limbs. Shrill, desperate cries and moans of pain from the living filled the air as the bodies began to pile up. Once the orc threat was neutralized, I set out to find Faniare and the dwarves.  
My stomach sank as a thought crossed my mind that hadn't before. They could already be dead.  
"Faniare!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. No reply.  
"Fili? Kili?" I asked hopefully.  
I felt a small pattering under my feet, and realized I was standing above a trapdoor. Seized by a sudden strength, I ripped the door off its hinges without even bothering with the lock. I jumped down into the pit the trapdoor lead to, feeling around blindly. Hearing a loud snarling behind me, I whipped around, battle axe in hand, face to face with several pairs of glowing red eyes. 'This ought to be easy,' I thought, smiling a sick smile and licking the orc blood off my lips. With a single swing of my axe, I knocked the wolf things towards what felt like a wall, then impaled them with the hilt of my axe as they whimpered in pain. I ripped the teeth and claws out of a particularly large one while it was still living, thinking they'd make a good necklace. I knew it was wrong, but my rage towards the orcs and their wolf-things was immeasurable.  
"Faniare!" I screamed again. This time, I heard a muffled reply. "NETHIMETH!"  
Running towards the sound and bumping into a few walls on the way, I found Fili, Kili, and Faniare chained to the walls of a dimly lit room. Much to my horror, a number of wolf creatures paced about, nipping at their feet. I ran out, still wielding my axe, and attacked the wolf-creatures. They were no match for me, so I had some fun with them, slicing thinly over them, skinning them so they bled to death slowly.  
Faniare, Fili, and Kili looked on, their eyes wide with shock.  
"You should see the rest of the camp," I said with a wink.  
Grabbing a lock pick from my bag, I swiftly unchained the dwarves and Faniare.  
"You, you're" Faniare stuttered.  
What? I asked, hardly noticing the cold, red liquid trickling down my leg.  
"You're bleeding!"  
It was true. An orc had torn through my leg with its sharp teeth, but in the heat of the melee, I had hardly noticed.  
Luckily, I also had animal skins in my bag, which I used as bandages. The pain was bearable.  
"What happened here?" Fili asked as they emerged from the trapdoor.  
"I happened," I said as I limped along. "Go through the usual routine," I instructed Faniare and Kili. Fili and I sat down as Melody trotted over and brushed her wet nose against my face with a relieved whinny.  
"The usual routine?" asked Fili.  
"Yeah, every time we-" I started, looking for a way to phrase my thoughts. "After we-"  
"Just spit it out!" Fili demanded impatiently.  
"Everytime we sack a town or an outpost, we do a routine going from the outside inwards in a circular pattern and back, the first time to see what's there and the second to take whatever we find most valuable," I explain. "Standard procedure," I add, trying to make my statement seem less crude.  
"Typical bandits," Fili laughed.  
"We may be bandits," I began with a grin, "but we are not typical. I mean, look around!"  
Fili surveyed the camp. Dozens of orc corpses lay dead, along with the occasional sheep and wolf-thing.  
"I'm glad you could do this," Fili sighed, fingering the beads in his carefully braided mustache.  
"It was nothing," I said, brushing off the compliment as usual.  
"No, really. My brother's really taken a liking to this Faniare girl. If anything happened to her, he'd be devastated."  
"I think the feeling's mutual," I laughed. Even though they'd just been captured by a gang of vicious orcs, and were currently stepping around dead bodies looking for anything valuable to take, their laughter echoed around the camp. It was like a song, and they'd never get tired of hearing it. And hopefully, for their own good, Fili and I wouldn't tire of it either.  
"Take care of Faniare, for Kili's sake," Fili pleaded, his deep eyes searching for an ounce of pity in mine.  
"You take care of your brother." I responded with a sisterly smile. "For Faniare."  
Fili stretched his arm around my shoulder and smiled. I knew I'd found a brother in this company. Even if he was a dwarf.  
"Are we interrupting something?" Kili asked as he and Faniare appeared before us, snickering maliciously.  
"No!" Fili and I both shouted, jumping to our feet (or in my case, foot) as if we'd been struck by lightning.  
Faniare and Kili dumped the contents of their sacks before us. I counted seven sheep skins, several pieces of jewelry, a few oversized loaves of bread, and a very large wheel of cheese. We placed the loot back in our bags and headed out of the camp, with myself riding Melody, and Faniare sitting awkwardly on Kili's strong shoulders. Fili trailed behind, his pockets jingling with the coin he'd picked up from Kili. Even my quiver was significantly more full, this time with poisoned tipped arrows.  
And there was one more thing.  
"You go ahead," I said, slowing down as we approached our camp. "I'll be right behind you."  
I pulled out the most prized treasure I picked up. A small blade, of dwarven make, woven with intricate designs of vines and a large serpent curled around the hilt. Hastily, I grabbed a small napkin from my bag and in dark ink, scribbled,  
"To Bilbo, with love."  
I gave the knife a soft kiss, then wrapped it in a small skin. I entered the camp silently, hoping to avoid a hero's welcome, then slipped the blade into Bilbo's saddlebag.  
"Who wants to hear the story of how I killed an entire camp full of orcs on my own?" I announced loudly, running up to join the dwarves by their fire.  
The dwarves cheered and took a few swigs from their mugs of ale. As I began my tale, I knew that I hadn't done it alone. I did have Melody's help, and the playful filly definitely got credit for that. But the thing that kept me alive was the thought of returning to see the awkward little smile on the face of that hobbit as he ran his tiny hands through his short, dark blond hair.


	10. Chapter 10:Faniare

Chapter 10: Faniare  
Thorin declared that it was too dangerous to travel at night, after what had happened with the orcs. We took shelter in a nearby cave, which was suprisingly free of all insects and rodents. It had almost been as if it was set up for us. I leaned on the wall, dizzy and tired from my encounter. I thanked Nessime briefly for saving me.  
"That's it?" she asked. "Just 'thanks'?" "Don't be so greedy." I clutched my aching side and breathed heavily. "You're lucky I even thanked you after your display of arrogance.""My arrogance? How about your arrogance? Why don't you go and run away with that Kili fellow?" "Oh, go run off with your hobbit!"  
Nessime was quiet.  
"You want reward for everything," I said slowly, emphasizing the syllables. "It's enough now." "Enough? I just saved THREE lives! Don't tell me it's enough!""I just did." "Stay away from me!" she huffed and fled to the other side of the cave.  
I felt a shaking hand take mine. I looked over and saw Kili's handsome face, tinted a soft yellow by the moonlight coming through the rocks.  
"Are you alright?" he asked. He sat down next to me and I leaned my head on his shoulder."I'm okay," I said. "Nessime is mad at me now." "She'll get over it." "I know." I closed my eyes, tired."You didn't have to come along, you know," he stated flatly."What is that supposed to mean?"  
He was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully.  
"Don't get all offended. I didn't mean it like that." His voice lowered to a soft, kind whisper.  
"I meant that you didn't have to endanger your life for us. To help us. It's enough that I have to watch out for my brother- I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. But I have to look out for you, too. It's stressful. I- I... I don't what I'd do if I lost Fili. I wouldn't feel any need to live..." he paused for a moment.  
"I'm starting to feel this way about you, too."  
"Kili..." I played with the buckle on my boot. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me. Please. I don't want to be the reason that you do or don't do certain things..."  
He didn't talk for a few minutes. I figured that he fell asleep, and rested my head on his shoulder. As I was falling asleep, I heard his quiet voice.  
"Don't worry. Good night." "Goodnight, Kili."

"Faniare, wake up!"  
I groaned.  
"Wake up! We're going!"  
I opened my eyes to see Beryll over me. She helped me to my feet (she almost fell over, as I was much taller than her) and walked behind Nessime. She rode on Melody. I thought about Destiny's fate, and my eyes got glassy. Beryll squealed suddenly."Hi, Bilbo," she said. The other hobbit glanced at her, and walked a bit faster. He smiled at me and slid past Beryll."He doesn't like me," said Beryll, frowning. I scanned the traveling group for Fili or Kili. I spotted Fili's braids from behind, and approached him.  
"Hi, Fili," I greeted the dwarf. "Faniare," he acknowledged, bowing politely. "Kili's over there.""Why would I talk to you to find your brother?" I felt badly for shrugged and played with a piece of hair. I walked beside Fili for a few minutes. His hair swung around as he walked, creating a rythym as the group traveled. I slipped behind him and found Kili on the other side of the company."Good morning," he said, face lighting up."Good morning, Kili!" I replied. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I blushed.  
"Sleep well?" "Yes. You?""Fine, I guess." He put an arm around me, and we walked together. He had a blue hood over his head. I noticed that Fili had a matching one.  
Thorin lead quietly in the front. Kili walked up to him, arm still around me."Good morning, Uncle!" he beamed. Thorin glanced at him and said nothing. I wondered if it had been because he noticed me. "Good morning, Thorin," I said quietly. He turned and looked at me, as if surprised. "Good morning," he grumbled."Be nice, Uncle," said Kili, a stupid smile on his cute face. His hood whipped around in the wind.  
Thorin ignored Kili's remark. He turned to the rest of the group. "We're near the cliffside...nobody fall off. I can't afford to lose anybody."  
We traveled up to that point. The path along the side of the cliff appeared to only be wide enough for two people. "Go in pairs- except Bombur." A particularly obese dwarf looked annoyed."I don't want to be last- and alone!" he argued."You shouldn't be so fat, then."  
Kili linked our arms. "After you?""After me." I blushed. He smiled and we walked carefully against the cliff rock. The rock jutted out and ended abruptly, leading to a seemingly endless pit.  
There was the sound of scraping shoes behind us, and somebody screamed.


	11. Chapter 11:Nessime

Chapter Eleven: Nessime  
I woke up with a sudden shock. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was awake. Everything around me was pitch black. The last thing I remembered was falling into a deep pit, but I looked up and there was no light. Instinctively, I felt around for my quiver, but I couldn't locate it in the darkness.  
A raspy hiss broke the silence, sending chills down my spine. I crawled about blindly until I saw a light up ahead in the distance. The light came from a large expanse of water that was radiant with a pale green glow and illuminated the underground cavern near where I was trapped.  
"Back off!" shouted a familiar voice. "I'm not afraid to use this!"  
There stood Bilbo Baggins, brandishing his...well, it wasn't exactly a sword...sword at a small vicious looking creature. When I'd given it to him, I had hoped he'd never have to use it.  
The thing jumped at Bilbo, landing on all fours in front of him, its long nails scraping at the hard rock Bilbo stood upon, the sound making me cringe. I looked on in utter despair as the creature circled Bilbo, grinning as he sniffed and pawed at him. Oh, how I wanted to jump out and slit the damn thing's throat. It looked like it belonged in the depths of Mordor, not in a cave by the mountains.  
After a series of misunderstood threats, the parley between Bilbo and the creature was over. The creature had challenged the hobbit to a game of riddles. If Bilbo won, he would be shown the way out. And if he lost, he would be eaten whole. At this remark,I couldn't help but giggle, not realizing my laughter would eerily echo off the walls of the cave.  
Bilbo looked around, his eyes widening as he saw me grin apologetically. I began to grin again as I saw Bilbo's hands moving. He'd learned elven sign language! I wondered if he'd learned it from one of those books of his that he was always rambling on about. Another, funnier, though crossed my mind. How many of his books were about elves? I was thankful it was so dark, so Bilbo didn't see the shade of red my cheeks turned.  
'Fancy meeting you here,' Bilbo signed discreetly behind his back as he walked backwards and leaned against the rock I hid behind.  
The little creature began the first riddle  
What has roots as nobody sees, Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes, And yet never grows?  
Bilbo turned his head down, and as soon as the thing looked away, I signed to him.  
'Mountain'  
"Easy!" Bilbo announced with glee. "Mountain, I suppose."  
The thing hissed and my grin grew wider.  
After helping Bilbo answer a few more riddles, I was out of ideas, and I felt like I was about to pass out.  
'Sorry'  
Bilbo breathed out loudly, pressing his lips together in annoyance. He finally decided to ask the creature what was in his pockets. I must have choked trying to stifle my laughter, because everything went black that moment...well, blacker.  
The second time I woke up, I was being dragged through a forest. I looked up, and a pair of warm, dark blue eyes staring down at me. And it didn't look I'd just got their attention. No, they'd been staring for a long time. I was glad to see who those eyes belonged too.  
'Is it safe?' I signed weakly, knowing perfectly well that it was, but still wanting to have a bit of fun.  
"Yes, it's safe. Thanks for your help down there," Bilbo said, smiling sheepishly as he propped me up against a tree and sat down beside me.  
"No problem," I replied, shrugging my aching shoulders. 'Must have been the lack of air in that cave,' I thought to myself. I wasn't really the fainting type. "So where'd you learn elven sign language?" I asked.  
"A book I was reading back at home in the Shire." Bilbo looked up, probably imagining sitting at home in Bag End and smoking his pipe.  
Hopefully not alone.  
My nose crinkled up a bit, trying to push away the suggestive voice inside my head.  
"What else did you learn about elves in that little book of yours?" I asked, feigning over-interest and elbowing him jokingly in the ribs.  
"Well, they...I mean, you, live for ever, unless you're killed."  
"Mhmmm..."  
"You're nearly un-defeat-able in battle."  
"Mhmmm..."  
"And you're stunningly beautiful."  
"Now is this a fact about the species, or just me?"  
"Uh," began Bilbo, his ears turning red. "Both! Well, elves are beautiful. But you especially," he stammered, tracing circles in the ground next to my bruised leg.  
He is just adorable when he's awkward.  
To this voice, I could not disagree. I smiled down at Bilbo, giving him a soft kiss on the nose and ruffling his messy locks.  
"There's more where that came from," I smiled, half-jestingly and half-seductively as I rose to my feet. "But only if you can catch me!" I began to sprint through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over roots. Bilbo stumbled along after me, his intent to, in fact, catch up with me, easy to read in his determined face. I uttered a cry that was part laugh and part howl. This was going to be a long chase...


	12. Chapter 12:Faniare

Chapter 12: Faniare  
Thorin settled the company down at a cave by the end of the cliffside. I creeped into the back and made my own corner, laying out some blankets as a makeshift bed. Thorin sat down across the cave, glaring at me. "Stop worrying," he said. "She's probably dead." "Quit teasing her, Thorin, you wouldn't like it if I started teasing you about your dead family and friends, hm?" remarked one of the dwarves.  
Thorin gave the dwarf a menacing glare accompanied by a snarl. "Go to sleep," he demanded, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall. "If anyone needs sleep here, it's you, Thorin!" remarked Bofur, lowering his grey hood.  
Somebody settled down right next to me. I looked and found Kili (without being surprised) puttting down some kind of animal-skin blankets."Hey, Fani," he said quietly."Fani?" I tried desperatley to think of a nickname for him. His name was too short. He laughed his adorable laugh and turned to me, our faces quite close together.  
"Don't let Uncle get on your nerves. He's...troubled." "I don't think 'troubled' describes what he is."I heard a giggle of some sort.  
"We should go to sleep," said Kili. He slipped his hand into mine and turned over. "Goodnight.""Goodnight, I guess." I pushed my hair from my face and closed my eyes.

Some kind of irregular movement woke me in the middle of the night. I jolted upright, presuming that I had another nightmare. I scanned the cave quietly. Everybody was sleeping, except for Thorin- who was missing. I stood and quietly crept around the cave. I slipped out of its mouth and onto a thicker part of the cliffside, where Thorin stood, staring down into the abyss. He hadn't seen me yet. A gentle drizzle began to fall from the sky.  
"Thorin?"He didn't move. His hands were folded behind his back.  
"Go away." "No." I stepped up next to him. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Why are you out here all by yourself? It's late, and-""I said go away.""And I said no."  
He turned to me. "You're stubborn, aren't you?" "So are you!""We make a good team." he looked away from me. I softened my voice a bit.  
"What's wrong? Why are you out here?"He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.  
"I...I don't know. I want to be alone, okay? Is that okay with you?" I shook my head. "No, actually, it's not okay. I want to help you.""I don't need helping.""Tell me what's wrong." I looked at him sympathetically.  
He grumbled.  
A sudden gust of wind blew into my face, whipping around my wavy brown hair. I followed Thorin's gaze down into the pit, wondering about Nessime and Bilbo. Had they died? A small creature like Bilbo surely would have suffocated while falling, if not died directly on impact. Nessime- I wasn't so sure about her. I kept my hopes alive, but that was all I could do. The pit was dark and lonely-looking. Its colorless haze provided me with the thinking capacity to picture Nessime hysterical over a dead (or dying) Bilbo...  
"That's it," I said suddenly, thinking out loud. "You miss someone? You're thinking about someone?"  
Thorin glared and turned his back to me.  
"That means I'm right. Who is it?" I softened my voice a bit, trying not to sound threatening.  
Thorin sighed. "I can see there is no pleasing you. If I told you would you leave me alone?""Okay." I stood next to him, being careful not to step too far near the edge of the cliff.  
The dwarf breathed out very slowly and dramatically before answering my question.  
"My father, I guess." "Oh?" I suddenly felt guilty, as if I had touched a spot in Thorin's mind that was very delicate."Yes. It's...touchy." He stared off the cliff for a few minutes, staying completely silent. I looked up at him. His eyes were glassy.  
"Thorin, are you crying?"His reaction was quick and sudden."What? No, I'm not crying! Go back to bed, now!" he looked away from me, enfuriated. "You can cry, it's okay, you know. Crying doesn't make you weak." "Yes it does.""You're stubborn, aren't you?"  
He looked at me, a single tear running down his face."So are you."  
"We make a good team," I finished. We stared at each other for a few moments before he turned away, a bright grin spreading across his face.  
"Don't hide that smile from me," I laughed. "You don't have to be serious all the time."  
"I'm not being serious now.""You're being sad.""I told you I wasn't crying!" his face turned angry again. Instinctively, I put my hand on his arm. He didn't budge.  
"You said you missed your father.""Yes."  
I wondered if he noticed my hand on his arm. Neither of us moved.  
"Don't stand out here in the cold. It won't help you think. Come on, come inside. You'll upset yourself more." My silver eyes stared deeply into his dark ones.  
"Fine." He noted my hand and gave me a warning glance. I shot my hand back down at my side and we walked into the cave together. I slipped quietly back into my makeshift bed.  
"Goodnight, Thorin.""Yeah."  
He didn't say anything else. Kili rolled over and groaned in complaint. I shoved him off of my blankets and took his hand. The corner of his mouth went up.  
I wanted to find Nessime- her and Bilbo. I didn't really know him, but I knew that Nessime did. She loved him. I would do anything to get them both back together, alive and well. I sighed and lifted my head. Thorin was asleep. I sunk my face into the blankets and tried to shake every thought from my head.  
"Stop tossing around," groaned Kili quietly. "It's annoying." he faced his back to me.  
Beryll moved around quietly in her sleep, probably worried about Bilbo. Too bad he didn't like her back- I liked him with Nessime much more.


	13. Chapter 13:Nessime

Chapter 13: Nessime  
It was my first night after finding the dwarf camp once again. Surprisingly, Thorin welcomed Bilbo and I warmly, giving me a friendly smile and a mug of ale from Gloin's "secret" supply. Perhaps he was glad I didn't abandon them. But I could never have left without Faniare. Or Melody, for that matter.

Faniare and Kili had begun what I liked to call synchronized sleeping. At the exact moment he inhaled, she exhaled with a loud snore. Although it was sort of cute, it meant that I couldn't get one second of silence. Careful not to rouse any of the others, I got up and crept over towards Melody, grabbing an apple from my saddlebag and feeding it to the horse, trying my best to muffle her happy whinny with my jacket.  
It'd been almost a week since I'd last hunted, and I'd grown tired of eating nuts and berries like a rabbit. So had the dwarves. I figured if I could catch even a small doe, I could feed the camp for a whole night, with some left over for breakfast. And maybe even a bit left over for second breakfast, an odd little custom Bilbo insisted on keeping up, even in the middle of the forest.  
I heard a small rustle in the forest, and immediately drew an arrow from my quiver, anxiously waiting for the animal to show itself.  
"No, don't shoot!" squeaked a tiny voice from behind a tree.  
"Beryll?" Of all the times she chose to find me, this had to be the worst.  
"Yeah, it's me," she squealed, inching away from behind the tree, her hands raised above her head. I realized my bow was still drawn and pointing at her, so I lowered it slowly, and she did the same with her hands. I jumped off Melody, leaving her to wander the forest for a bit. She could take care of herself.  
"Why are you here?"  
"Look, about our...uh...conversation a few weeks ago."  
This was what this was all about? "Alright, I was a bit harsh, I'm sorry," I droned, rolling my eyes.  
"No, that's not it at all!" Beryll exclaimed, nervously gesturing with her hands. "I just want you to know, I wasn't actually...well...coming on to him." Beryll folded her hands behind her back, rocking nervously back and forth.  
"Then what was that 'Oh, Bilbo, you're such a hero!' thing about?"  
"It's just...having another hobbit around is the closest thing I have to home. I miss home."  
"Uh, it's alright," I tried, unsure of how to respond to Beryll's sudden swell of emotion.  
"Why'd you have to bring me to this stupid forest anyway?" Beryll shouted, her face turning an alarming shade of purple before returning to its normal state as she moved back defensively.  
"We needed a hobbit's help, and you were perfect. And after all, you were the best hobbit hunter back when we used to hunt with Fognae."  
Apparently, I shouldn't have mentioned this, because at the sound of Fognae's name, she began to sob even more violently. I almost began to pity the poor hobbit girl. I wrapped my arm around her tiny shoulders reassuringly.  
"Everything is going to be fine."  
But I should have known that a moment such as this could never happen without it being interrupted by some dwarf or another. Bombur came barging towards us, his rolls of fat jiggling as he ran.  
"WARG!" he screamed, and all the dwarves followed behind him, forming a defensive circle, perhaps to protect Beryll. All the dwarves held their swords in the air, and I held up my bow. Oddly enough, Faniare and Kili were missing. Typical.  
Before I knew it, we were surrounded by a pack of those wolf things. They're called Wargs, I noted silently.  
The largest Warg padded silently up to Thorin, making no threat. He simply sniffed at his face, then trotted back to the ring of Wargs. He circled around, weaving between the Wargs for consultation. Once he had "spoken" with all the other Wargs, he bared his teeth at Thorin. They flashed an eerie white in the moonlight. The others followed his lead, growling and showing their teeth. And the next thing I knew, a Warg had leapt over Oin, and was clutching a still struggling Beryll in his mouth.


	14. Chapter 14:Faniare

Chapter 14: Faniare  
I was awakened by the faint sound of screaming and yelling. There was a high-pitched squeal, accompanied by deeper voices. I sat up. Kili was sitting next to me. His eyes were bloodshot.  
"Where did everyone go?" he asked. He listened quietly to the screaming and jumped up."My brother's there!" he declared, tears forming in his eyes. He helped me to my feet, and I grabbed my weapons. I rubbed my eyes wearily.  
"Kili, calm down. He's your brother.""Exactly!"  
"Why are you two so over-protective of each other?"  
"He's all I have, Faniare! Well, besides you, now. He's all I've had since I was little. Someone to play with, someone to fight with, to learn with, to grow with, and the like. We've been inseperable since birth...or mine, at least." He put his arm around me and gave me a kiss.  
"Now let's go."  
He darted out of the cave with great agility. I followed behind, the wind whipping my dark hair in my face. We approached the forest-like side of the cliff, where a pack of the wolf-creatures (Called Wargs, as I discovered later) were huddled in a circle. I heard a familiar voice screaming."LET GO OF ME!"  
It was Beryll.  
As much as I disliked her, I didn't want her to get hurt- or worse. We sped to the scene, where the rest of the company was fighting off the Wargs. The largest one had Beryll in its mouth. Nessime was shooting at it. It shook off her arrows with ease and swiped at Thorin, who ducked in time. It rampaged over to Fili and smashed him to the ground with its giant head. It munched on Beryll a bit more. I aimed a throwing knife and tossed it skillfully straight between the beast's eyes. The dwarves turned around.  
"Fili!" screamed Kili in horror. He ran over to his wounded brother.  
I picked up the throwing knife as the beast fell to the ground, whining in pain. I suddenly felt guilty, but ran over with Nessime to pry Beryll from the beast's mouth. "Please be alive..." muttered Nessime, pulling a blood-covered, beaten Beryll onto the ground. She put her ear to the hobbit's chest.  
"Well?" asked Bilbo, coming over. He bowed slightly when he saw me.  
Nessime looked up solemnly. "Come here." She asked him to repeat what she had just done. Baggins put his small ear to Beryll's chest.  
"She's not breathing." He looked upset. "Beryll?" He shook her. No response. Nessime checked every possible sign of life, but all efforts proved futile.  
Beryll Merridew, a simple friend, protector and fighter, was dead.  
Thorin walked over, his boots sticking in a muddy spot on the grassy rock. "I'm sorry," he said, though the words did not seem directed at anybody in specific. I felt hot tears form in my eyes. They began to spill down my face.  
"If only we could bury her at the Shire," wept Bilbo quietly, "She would be happy there." "Here is fine," said Dori.  
"It will have to be," agreed Thorin. "Carrying around a body will attract every kind of enemy." He kicked the dead Warg's nose.

The burial was over within an hour, and it soon became nighttime. We all returned quietly to the cave, agreeing that we would begin to move tomorrow- we couldn't stay much longer before the orcs found us, Thorin reasoned.  
Kili helped Fili against the wall of the cave. They sat together, speaking softly. Fili had a gash on his head that would probably scar. I waited for Kili to come over, but he did not. Trying to be understanding, I sat with my side to the cave wall. Sleep did not come easily. I heard Nessime speaking to someone.  
"I miss her," she said simply. I thought of Beryll- her small, pretty but bloodied face in the mouth of the Warg. I made a sincere promise to myself to kill every Warg I could, no matter what it took.  
I awoke in the early morning, just as the sun had started to rise. I stepped over a few dwarves and glanced back. Kili was sleeping with a protective arm over his injured brother. I smiled and went outside.  
I stared off the edge of the cliff, hands folded behind my back. I thought gravely of Beryll and how her short hobbit-life had come to a tragic, painful end. Why her? Why not one of the orcs? Why not a dwarf- why her? Tears spilled down my face, and for the first time in years, I wept loudly. I silenced myself quickly, being careful not to wake the others. In spite of this, I felt a hand place itself solidly on my shoulder.  
"Kili?" I asked without turning, noticing the affectionate kind of way that the gesture had been made. "No." it was a simple statement, but complex enough for me to notice the voice.  
"Thorin?" I turned my head. Thorin had his hand on my shoulder. His face was expressionless.  
"I heard you crying. The cave echoes, you know." he spoke quietly to me. "I'm sorry for disturbing you.""It's alright. It's light out now, anyway. And I'm sorry about Beryll, Faniare."  
Was this the first time he had acknowledged me by my name?  
"It's okay."  
I let out an involuntary sob. To my deepest and most utter surprise, Thorin turned me towards him and put his arms around me in a hug. I copied him, too miserable to object, and began sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, too." he spoke quietly."For what?" I wiped a tear from my eye. "The way I treat you. It's disgusting. I'm sorry." he looked at me. His dark eyes were full of some expression- something you couldn't show on your face. Was it regret?  
As we stood, hugging (accompanied by my weeping), I gained a tremendous respect for Thorin. I realized now that maybe I was meant to be within the company. I had found people I grew to know. They were almost like family, and I mentally compared them to members of a typical family (or an elf family, at least. I'm not sure if dwarves even have families). I realized that Fili was like a brother, Nessime like a sister, Kili- not in a family- but as a lover, and Thorin- almost as some kind of a father.  
Maybe, just maybe, I thought, Maybe now, I really belong.


	15. Chapter 15:Nessime

Chapter 15: Nessime  
It had been days and days since Beryll's death. For about a week, I'd been dazed, hardly eating or sleeping. Our hobbit was dead, it was just Faniare and I. But yet, that wasn't the case. With great chagrin, I forced myself to accept that I was part of a company of dwarves. Dwarves! I laughed at the thought. We'd gotten down into the lowlands, irritatingly close to where we started.  
"Bilbo," I said, reaching down to the sleeping figure on the grey pony beneath me.  
The hobbit swayed back and forth on his pony, who evidently was leading itself as its rider was out cold and snoring louder than any thunder I'd heard.  
"Bilbo," I hissed. "Thorin's coming!"  
At this, the hobbit woke up instantaneously, his back straight as a soldier's. Lazily, I raised a hand to salute Thorin, accompanied by a sarcastic, "Morin' General Thorin, sir" and a sheepish grin.  
Thorin shot me his "are you kidding me" stare, which although frightening, was hardly intimidating coming from a man who was half as tall as me. Bilbo and I pressed on, climbing up from the lowlands onto a series of slopy hills. As soon as Thorin was out of earshot, we looked at each other and snickered with delight.  
Up ahead was the most beautiful sights I had seen, the city of Rivendell. And while it was reassuring, it was also repulsive. Despite the beauty of the city, Elrond of Rivendell had been a cruel tyrant. As expert hunters, Faniare and I had served at the feet of Elrond and witnessed firsthand the disgusting oppression of the people. Being naturally dominant, but having no way of avoiding submission to Elrond's torturous regime, Faniare and I escaped to the mountains and deep forests of Middle Earth. I felt like a prisoner returning to gaol. Seeing old friends and old faces, but once again donning the shackles of Elrond's rule.  
Being skilled at physiognomy, it wasn't too difficult to read Thorin's hatred of Elrond. We were still a day away from the city, and yet his brow was furrowed in constant thought and the lines on his immaturely aged face seemed to grow deeper. For hours he would sit on his pony and lose himself in quiet meditation, needing a dwarf or two to steer the creature back onto its course.  
Although we were only six hours away now, we set up camp a few miles outside the city walls. As usual, the dwarves all laughed and drank as if celebrating Saturnalia, despite the biting cold of the night. Instead of joining in as I usually did, I watched from afar as Faniare and Kili danced about the fire with the rest of the dwarves. Rest of the dwarves. I repeated that thought over and over again in my mind. She was one of the company, that was certain. And she definitely didn't seem to share my concerns about returning to the city.  
Perhaps she's forgotten she's an elf, not a dwarf. Perhaps she's forgotten she had chosen to accompany me on our exile from the city. Perhaps this wasn't a bad thing, for with memories of Rivendell came memories of pain. But even worse were those of joy, which I'd had to sever completely. Since we left, life was rough and hard. Everyday has been a fight to survive. Especially these days with the dwarves. But it seems the opposite, for although there's more to living another day, the struggle is no longer so bitter.  
"I'm the one who's bitter," I muttered aloud, ignorant of the greasy haired dwarf with the chiseled face that only a few feet away from me.  
"I know how you feel," Thorin said, taking another swig of wine. "Elrond has done me no wrong, yet by the faults of his ancestors, I am predisposed to hate him."  
"Elrond has certainly done me wrong," I laughed, getting up and plopping down beside him and taking an ironically dainty sip from my glass. "He used to throw things at us when we didn't bring back enough for his table on a hunt."  
"Typical elf," he snorted. I drew back in disgust. "Wait," he cried. "I didn't mean that. You elves aren't all that bad. I mean, you two aren't. It's not the elves I don't like, it's the grandeur of the city that frightens me. It reminds me of the days when the kingdom I was born to inherit was as majestic as this."  
I smiled. Underneath all that Thorin was a regular little dwarf with regular little doubts and fears. It was nice to not feel like I was talking to a stone when I saw that statuesque face of his before mine. Thorin and I laughed, and drank, and laughed, and drank, and drank, and drank. Next thing I knew, Faniare was carrying me to my bedroll next to hers and all I saw were stars. I knew it couldn't be the night sky, for the foliage was much too thick. It must have been my imagination.  
Before I knew it, the entire company stood before the menacing gates of Rivendell. Tall like the gates of the ancient man's Troy, they towered above me, making me feel small after nearly two months of feeling tall among dwarves.  
The minute I saw the elf who received our party, my heart sank. It was the king himself. Leaving the company to the devices of his servants, he took my wrist with surprising gentleness. I obediently followed him as he lead me up the steps to the palace and into a small meeting hall.  
Elrond released my wrist, then bowed, gesturing towards a chair. I sat down at the edge of the chair, almost falling off.  
"It has been a while since you graced our city, Lady Nessime," he said, his voice pouring out like the waterfalls on the edge of the city. Much to my surprise, his face had grown softer, his skin loosened, no longer looking like a deer hide on a frame. Even his eyes were kinder, warmer, and more inviting. And no, this was not just common elven seduction. This was genuine.  
"Rivendell was a much different place when I left," I said simply, biting my lip to hold back tears.  
"And I was a much different elf."  
And in spite of myself I stood up, and ran to Elrond, burying my face in his shoulder, letting the tears flow freely. Rivendell was not my prison, and Elrond was not my warden. This was my home, and Elrond was my father and I didn't care that he was a king and I wouldn't have cared if he was cobbler, I'd spent more than half of my life in his palace. So much had changed, and yet, as I sat and cried, everything seemed like this was what was supposed to happen. Elrond placed his strong hand on my head, letting the warmth of his hand radiate over my scalp.  
Without another word, I ran out, my face still stained with tears, looking for the company. Then I realized they couldn't let them see me like this, so I scurried past hastily and ducked around a nearby building. I caught some slips of conversation from Gandalf.  
"This wasn't what was supposed to happen."  
Once I'd regained my composure, I met an old elven friend of mine, Anisane,who directed me back to the dwarves' quarters within the palace, where I sought out a bath, as I hadn't bathed since a week before we first arrived at the Shire to meet...the lump in my throat was far from gone. Finally finding a decent bath, far, far away from the dwarves, I let myself soak, the dirt spiraling away from my body and gathering like lily pads atop a pond. Drying myself off, I discovered a brush, which I was quite grateful for, and tied my hair up into a bun, fastened by a pin I'd grabbed from a goblin camp some time ago. It was odd to think of stealing things now, as I was back in my own city.  
Unabashedly leaving the bath clad only in a long robe, I found Bilbo in his room, working on some kind of small project which he quickly pocketed as he heard me enter. Standing to greet me, his eyes widened in shock at the sight of my face. As they wandered down, I pushed his face back up with my hand cupped over his chin.  
"Eyes front, soldier," I ordered, and he turned the most extraordinary shade, beet red.  
After a few seconds, he was able to spurt out the words, "Thorin's in a meeting."  
As soon as he said such, I realized what was happening, as his voice and another voice came echoing through the corridor and into the room. Slamming the door and grinning seductively at the hobbit, I lay back onto the soft bed. These were the beds I used to sleep in when I lived in the palace. They were soft and plush and such a comfort after my thirty or so years sleeping on the ground. My own eyes wandered towards Bilbo, who I motioned towards, beckoning for him to lay beside me. For a moment we just lay there, and when he finally asked, I told him everything I remembered about Rivendell. About never running out of food to eat, about Faniare and I constantly pranking the servants and avoiding the wrath of Elrond. Perhaps Elrond was never that bad, but the ties of youth had bound me into characterizing him as the tyrant. Doesn't every girl do that with her father? Hours passed and we lay still, until we realized that the window on the ceiling could be opened up to gaze upon the stars. We sat and watched the stars for a while too, until I heard the voices of Thorin, Elrond, and Gandalf. Reassuring Biblo that I'd be back momentarily, I crept out to the terrace adjacent to his room. Still clad in only a robe, the night breeze tickled my legs and the marble floor froze my bare feet with every step I took.  
Listening to their conversation, I heard Elrond say that the map to the mountains Thorin carried could only be see under the light of a certain moon. Thorin crossed his fingers behind his back, but to no avail. We has missed the moon by nearly a month, and would have to stay another year to see the next. The despair dripped from Thorin's eyes, but he knew what he had to do.


	16. Chapter 16:Faniare

I didn't realize how filthy I actually was until I took a bath that day. Dirt washed off of me in giant waves, pouring down the drain at a rapid rate. When I was finished, I got dressed and I entered one of the bedrooms. Relieved, I picked up a hairbrush from the dresser and pulled it through my knotty hair. It would curl by morning, I figured. The door opened, and Fili walked in.  
"Hey. Um..." he sat down, stuttering a bit. "Elrond dismissed Thorin.""And?" I watched as his face turned sullen and put an arm around him."We missed it." "Missed what?""The moon. To see the map. The right moon. We missed it." "So?""We have to wait now...another year."  
I felt my stomach drop. I said nothing, and went across the room to put the hairbrush back. I left the bedroom, entering one of the main hallways of the palace. To my surprise, Elrond was there. He recognized me without turning around- he was looking out a long semi-circle shaped window that made up part of the wall."Faniare," he said. Was there a hint of friendliness in his voice?  
"Yeah, it's me. Where's Thorin?""I thought he was with you. You're sharing-""Don't tell me we're sharing a room."  
"Nessime insisted on having her own, so we have to cramp."  
I rolled my eyes.  
I glared at Elrond for a moment. His dark hair hung at the sides of his face, greasy tips matching his dripping expression. I looked at him for a moment, and went back into my room. There were two beds. Thorin was crammed onto the end of one. I went over to him. He did not stir.  
Deciding to leave Thorin to sleep, I sat in front of a crystal vanity and wiped the last remains of dirt off of my face. Kili came in, along with his brother. I turned around."You look beautiful," Kili told me, taking my hands. He kissed me on the cheek and sat in the empty bed.  
"...I'll sleep on the floor," declared Fili, seeing the only other option as sharing with his uncle. He spread out a blanket and lay on it.  
I laid next to Kili, and he put his arm around me."You're trembling," he noted. I sighed."Go to sleep."_  
The next morning, Elrond had invited us all to breakfast in one of the many dining halls of the palace. It all looked so familiar- I wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. As Elrond passed by where I was sitting at the long elegant table, I stood.  
"Why suddenly so hospitable?" I asked."I was always hospitable." he was very calm."You were a tyrant," I recalled. "You left me in your dungeon for nearly a week straight with moldy bread as my only source of food. And do you remember why? Because I had an attitude with one of your guards.""It was reasonable."  
I picked up a sharp knife from the table and attempted to stab Elrond. He took the knife from my hand calmly and put it back on the table."No need for violence, young Faniare." He put a hand on my shoulder and sat me back in my chair. Thorin watched with interest.  
"Stop acting so innocent, Elrond! You treated me like food scrap when I was living here! I want no memories of it!" I stood again and lashed at him with one of my own throwing knives. He shoved me back into the wall with surprisingly immense force. I slammed my head into the stone wall and sank to the floor, my head spinning.  
I saw Nessime rise from her seat and speak to Elrond. He conversed with her in a friendly matter before she sat down. Elrond took a spot at the head of the table."Now, then. Shall we eat?"  
I sat in the corner, leaning on the stone wall. I got up dizzily and went to my room. I collapsed willingly onto the bed and slept for a few hours before being awakened by Kili. His long hair was pushed neatly back behind his ears.  
"Hi, Faniare." He helped me sit up. "Elrond's kind of angry at you." he kissed my cheek."Good for him."  
He smiled and lead me out into the hallway. It was only the afternoon. Rivendell was absolutely beautiful. Kili sat out on one of the terraces with me. Someone else came outside with us.  
"Hello, Faniare."It was Elrond. I stood up and turned around."Go away! I don't want to see you!" I growled. I took out a throwing knife. He grabbed my wrist suddenly with immense power.  
"I can kill you very easily, Faniare, but I won't." He stared off of the terrace, out into Rivendell. Nessime came out, accompanied by Bilbo.  
"Hi, Faniare." Nessime sat down next to her hobbit friend and they conversed quietly. Elrond turned to her and smiled."Good afternoon.""Good afternoon, Elrond." She grinned and put her hand on Bilbo's shoulder.  
"Go away!" I yelled, kicking Elrond's shin. He grunted and kicked me back, his steel-toed boot instantly bruising up my entire leg. I dove for him with a knife, but he picked me up with surprising agility and held me over the end of the stone terrace rail.  
"I'll do it.""I'm sure you will!" I struggled to free myself from his grasp. "Now let go!""Surely."  
He released his grip on me, and I began to fall. I gripped the edge of the balcony, holding onto the cold stone and dangling off of the edge. Nessime shrieked, and ran over to help. Elrond gently moved her out of the way and took out his sword. He sliced where my hands were, mangling my wrists and causing me to fall.  
My fingers lost grip on the stone, blood spraying down where I was falling. Wind rushed past me so roughly that I could barely breathe. I smashed into a rough, stony surface. I was on the roof of a house. Trying to lift myself up, blood ran down the shingles of the roof and down to the street. I had no feeling in my fingers whatsoever. Another figure came down, landing half on top of me. It groaned in pain."Kili!" I tried to yell, but the cry was hoarse. Blood dripped from his head. I heard Nessime yell from above before one of my own throwing knives came down, striking me just below the neck.  
I hit my face straight into the stone roof, and remembered no more other than the fact than I knew I was about to die.


	17. Chapter 17:Nessime

I hated that smell. That "everything is going to be alright" smell. It smelled like dead skin and soap and it made me sick.  
I sat in the waiting room, nervously shaking my leg. It was all I could do not to vomit on the perfectly polished hospital floor.  
Medical salves sat on jars upon old wooden shelves. This place had been around since Elrond was born, yet was still functional. Thank the stars for that.  
Some wounds couldn't be healed by an elf's internal functions. Some required days of laying there, unconscious, surrounded by mages and doctors. Having your friends wonder if they could hear anything they say to you.  
A tear trickled down my cheek, slowly descending like a climber on a mountain. Could she hear me? I stayed by her side every night. Days were too busy, too much rushing around. Sometimes she would twitch and they would call me down from the hospital roof. I would run, praying that she'd wake up, praying that she would still be alive by the time I got down to the first floor.  
Sometimes, when everyone else had gone to eat, Kili would sit and hold her hand and close his eyes. I often wondered what he thought. Fili and I sat together nearby, but not too close to bother the young dwarf. Sometimes, I clenched Fili's hand in mine so tight that his fingers turned purple. He didn't complain, but I eased my grip.  
Bilbo would bring me food, and I would ruffle his hair playfully and smile. It was an empty gesture. He would compliment my looks and I would laugh. I felt like it was all a lie. My high cheekbones, sunken and sullen. My blue eyes, faded to a mundane gray. How could I relish in the hobbit's praise when Faniare was nearly dead?  
But the nights were mine. Alone. At night I could sit and weep; I could laugh at nothing and hear my own voice echo across the walls. I could sit and watch the stars, imagining Faniare was yakking about something or other that I'd done wrong instead of laying here and looking as if she was dead.  
Sometimes I talked to her.  
"I wonder if you miss me," I whispered. "If you can even think to miss me."  
I would spread the kind of mindless gossip that I once hated.  
"Yesterday Bofur got caught trying to steal a leg of lamb from the kitchen. Everyone flipped out because no one even knew there was meat."  
I sat and watched her face in the moonlight. I'd seen my friend's face so many times, yet I had never noticed the small scar under her left eye. Or the way her eyebrows pointed upwards. It was so calm and peaceful, but in a frightening way.  
I told her about Kili.

"Even if you don't see him, Kili sits with you everyday. He really misses you."  
I thought about Fate, I searched my mind for a reason for Her cruel hand to sculpt this tragedy.  
What could have started all this?  
Since Gandalf had rejoined the group while I was trapped in that cave, things hadn't exactly gotten better. Beryll's death, and now Fania-no. Faniare wasn't dead. And I couldn't suspect Gandalf. He was a part of this company too, it seemed  
"I can't even tell you how much weight I've put on since we got here," I said, jokingly poking at my own stomach.  
The edges of her pale lips seemed to turn up subtly in a slight smile. Or was it my imagination? I glanced back at her face, it was stern and porcelain-like; an unhealthy pallor across her face and arms. It was my imagination.  
I wasn't sure if I wanted her to hear me. Some of the things I said would be just a tad embarrassing, but there are so many things I wished could have said.  
The next morning, the call came. Faniare was dead.  
I sat with her the entire day, no one dared enter. My bow was drawn. The corpse looked too peaceful to be Faniare. Yet it was so her, I almost expected it to get up and yell at me for scattering food all over our camp. I could hear her laughing while I screamed to flush the birds out of the trees. I could hear her singing after we got in trouble for stealing from the kitchen and had to scrub the entire great hall with horse brushes.  
"Faniare, remember the time, before we had Destiny and Melody, and I carried both of our packs for 40 miles? You said you owed me one. So I'm asking you for a favor."  
The muscles in my throat clenched together, and I gasped for breath.  
"Stop being dead." I said it quietly, a faint whisper. "You can't do this. This is wrong."  
The cadaver laughed at me, silent and motionless.  
I paused to hold my jaw in place and end the nervous tremor that vibrated through my skull.  
"Elrond hated you, and some of the other elves hated you. And they said you weren't a real elf. They said you looked like one of those women from faraway cities. You weren't. You were more of an elf than me. I don't care if they called you half breed, or filthy human. You were more of an elf than any of them."  
The tremor had spread to my entire body; I was shivering in the sixty degree weather like a madman.  
"Stop being dead! Stop this, this is madness! Just get up!"  
I took the cadaver by the shoulders and began to shake it back and forth in the hopes of waking it up. It wasn't Faniare, I decided. It couldn't be.  
But it had to be. The way her dark, wavy locks cascaded off of her lightly tanned skin. The curve of her eyes, the way her pointed ears arched back just so. Her defined jaw, the wisps of hair that grew ever so lightly in front of her ears.  
I pressed my fingers gently over her eyelids, and pushed her eyes open. They were covered in the translucent, milky film of death, but they were Faniare's hazel eyes nonetheless. They stared up at me; an expression that almost resembled pity was painted upon her profile. Pity because I was stuck in this angelically miserable world, constantly surrounded, but always alone.  
I reached out and traced the outline of her acute features with my finger. She'd been like my sister. Now what did I have? Nothing. Nothing but a company of dwarves, who, while caring, hadn't any idea of what my life had been like. And a hobbit who'd lived a sheltered life, never having met an elf before me. Even though I almost loved him, the time I spent with Faniare was the only time I didn't feel like I was exiled to a life of solitude. Yet, in spite of myself, a slow smile crept across my lips.  
I arose, a slight tingle in my foot as I'd been sitting on it all day. Closing Faniare's eyes, I leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. The tranquility in the room seemed long, and I couldn't look at her much longer. I was too invested in my silent mourning to cry, but I dabbed at my watery eyes anyway.  
I left in silence, and came across Bilbo, walking quietly down the stone corridor near our quarters.  
"I think I love you," I said hurriedly, collapsing onto the floor in tears. How could I be so selfish? My best friend was dead, and I was busy confessing my love for a boy?  
He sat down beside me and placed a reassuring arm around my shoulder. We didn't speak, but sat on the ground in silence. I cried quietly into his shoulder and we sat until morning.


	18. Chapter 18:Faniare

The darkness was so intense, it was almost blinding. For what seemed like an eternity, I stared into the inky blackness. It was protruded audibly by what sounded like voices...voices of people I knew. Voices of Nessime, Fili and Kili. But I couldn't answer back.  
After a while, the voices became clearer. I heard a few familiar ones. They sounded very distant, but I could make out their words. The great frustration came in not being able to respond. The first voice that I heard at that time was that of Thorin's.  
"How is she?" The other came very quickly, but I noticed it at once.  
"She is dead." It was Gandalf.  
No, I'm not! I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I could not. What if I really was dead? Was this the afterlife? Was I doomed to a fate of darkness, listening to the voices of people that I knew?  
I heard a couple of heavy footsteps, and then a hand on mine. The fingertips were warm, but the palm cold, probably from holding a weapon so often. I recognized Thorin's grip without even looking at him. Then I heard a noise, one that I did not hear often. It was a deep sobbing sound that was obviously trying to be muffled. The hand became shaky and let go of me. Then it proceeded to brush lightly against the side of my face.  
"I'll get him back for you, Faniare," promised Thorin's broken voice. His previous relationship with elves probably elevated his anger even further.  
There was silence for a while, and a few muffled voices in the background. I couldn't make out their words. Then came a more sorrowful voice, one that nearly brought tears to my own eyes.  
"Faniare?"  
It was Nessime.  
"Faniare, remember the time, before we had Destiny and Melody, and I carried both of our packs for 40 miles? You said you owed me one. So I'm asking you for a favor."  
There was a still silence for a while, and I felt my best friend take my hand in hers. She was cold and shaky, the same way Thorin had been.  
"Stop being dead. You can't do this. This is wrong."  
It is wrong, I agreed mentally. I struggled to open my eyes, but they would not budge. I was forced to lay and listen to Nessime's agonizing pity and depression over me, her weeping and crying. After a while, her hand left mine, and she was gone. It didn't take long for the next round of anxiety to begin.  
The door creaked open again, after what seemed like hours later. Footsteps came towards me. This time, they were soft. The bed sunk down, indicating that someone was sitting next to me. There was no speaking for a while. Just a quiet weeping, and some movement. Finally, words:"Are you really dead, Faniare?" It was Kili. I tried with all of my might to say something, but it was useless effort.  
"Can you really be dead? Can the strong, beautiful woman that I love really be dead?" His words were cut into pieces by sobbing.  
I pictured Kili sitting over me, alone and upset. At least he still had his brother. He also had Nessime, but she loved Bilbo. I ached inside for Kili. His hands moved up to my face, and he softly kissed my head.  
"I'm sorry, brother." Fili's voice sounded very distant. He went on to talk with Kili about how things could get better, and how we still had to finish our quest to the Mountain.  
The Mountain! I had completely forgotten. The treasure in the Mountain made me think of Beryll. It took me a while to remember that Beryll was dead, buried in the forest somewhere far away from her home. I could have protected her, and she could have lived...  
At that instant, a heavy sob escaped my throat. It came so quickly and so suddenly, that the silence following it made my stomach lurch. Kili's grip on my hand tightened."Faniare? Can you hear me? It's me, Kili." I forced the words from my throat, heavily and painfully."I can hear you, Kili."  
My eyes snapped open, and there was Kili, sitting at my side, tears running down his face. Fili stood in the corner, arms crossed. He looked solemn, but his bright eyes lit up at the sound of my voice."Faniare!" Kili took me into his arms, and- holding me like some sort of small child- kissed me on the lips. I did not- nor did I want to- stop him.  
Every limb and muscle in my body felt sore from the lack of use. I looked down at my hands, to surprisingly find that every finger was intact. There were some red marks by the knuckles, indicating that they had to be stitched or healed.  
"Kili, I love you." I couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. A smile crept onto my face, and he copied it."Fili, get Nessime!"  
Fili ran out of the room, and Kili held me tightly in his arms. His face was against my head, and he whispered quietly about how much he had missed me. I sat silently and listened, both overwhelmed and excited about being reunited with the people that I loved once more.  
"Could you hear me talking to you?" Kili asked."Yes." I turned to the door to see Nessime run in. She scrambled excitedly up to me, gave me a great hug.  
"Faniare!" Her eyes were sparkling. "I thought I'd lost you."  
"Me too."

Elrond was not very happy to see me that night. Kili lead me into the dining hall, where the rest of the dwarves sat. As I walked in, they cheered, and I felt a flash of personal pride inside of me. Thorin grinned at me and then looked at the rest of the company. He sat at one head of the table, and Elrond at the other. Thorin raised his glass cup, and the other followed. Kili lifted mine (my arm was too sore to lift anything that high) and everybody tapped their glasses together. I felt my face flush.  
Elrond got up from his seat and left the room. Bombur hurried over."He left food!"  
Usually spiteful towards the fat dwarf, I laughed merrily. Thorin looked over at me and smiled, unusually happy. Kili kept a protective arm around me as we all ate. When we were finished, Thorin stood.  
"I have a few announcements that I must make," he stated simply. "First off, I feel inclined to congratulate Faniare on, ah..." he struggled for a phrase.  
"For not dying. Cheers to that!" Excited whispering filled the room.  
"Silence!" demanded Thorin. "I would also like to notify you fools of the task at hand. We are going to prepare for when the moon comes. It is not for a while, but you are to keep all supplies together as if we were leaving tonight. When the day does come, we are exiting immediately. Stay out of trouble." He sat down.  
I entered my room that night. Kili was already in bed, sleeping quietly. I changed into night attire and slipped under the blankets, next to him. He shifted over and then became still again. Not wanting to wake him, I gently kissed his cheek and then closed my eyes, trying to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19:Bilbo

It seems it is my duty to pick up this narrative where my dear elves left off. It was nearly half a year since we arrived in Rivendell when Thorin announced there was no hope in looking for the map, so we left, and left reluctantly, for we left behind Faniare and Nessime. I will never forget the expression on Nessime's face as she waved us farewell from the castle battlements, standing beside Faniare, and dressed in the garb of elven nobility. Although hurt, I could understand why they wanted they wanted to stay, Elrond having promised them a place in his council for life. There stood Nessime, gazing downward upon our company, a look of pride and sadness in her eyes.  
Well, we found the dragon, we found the gold, and I must say, I don't think it was worth what it cost us. The death of Thorin, who had become something like a brother to me, and of Fili and Kili. Faniare would be devastated when she heard of the death of her lover, and Nessime of her friend. But I still had hope, for I could return to Nessime, I could return with pride and tell her it was all me, that I had been the hero. And she would laugh, and ruffle my hair with her long, elegant fingers, and maybe, just maybe she would remember the time when it seemed all hope was lost and she said she loved me and maybe she would say it again.  
So I hurried to Rivendell and I burst into the palace, for I knew I was welcome, and I demanded to see Nessime. And they told me she had left, she was headed to a place called Hobbiton, and I knew she had left to find me, so I continued on to Hobbiton until I reached the green door. The door to my old hobbit hole, the door where Gandalf had left his mark and our adventure had began. The adventure that had led me to that fair warrior maiden Nessime.  
The door was laced with cobwebs and the brass handle cold and rusted and as I entered, it creaked ominously.  
Immediately upon my entrance, a feeble voice came from my bedchamber, where I had not been in nearly 4 years.  
"Bilbo."  
I ran to Nessime and I threw myself into her welcoming arms.  
"Why did you leave Rivendell? How did you get here? What of Faniare?"  
"Long dead," replied Nessime. I gave her a shocked, questioning look.  
"At the hands of a drunken human man," she spat, her voice a mixture of solemnity and disgust.  
"At least her lover has joined her," I said, at which Nessime blinked hard and let out a strong breath. "Fili, Kili, Thorin."  
Nessime simply nodded. While she looked stunning as ever, there was something missing in her eyes, in her welcome. Her hands trembled in mine, and she had yet to make a joke at my expense.  
"Why did you leave Rivendell?" I asked again. Nessime sighed, and held my hand up to her chest.  
"Can you feel my heart beating, hobbit?" Her breathing was unsteady and quick, and her heartbeat fast.  
"Ness-"  
"I'm ill, hobbit boy," she announced, rising to her feet and stretching her arms so her shoulder blades touched. Sitting back down, she continued. "Of a broken heart. Both literally and figuratively. The Council has changed, Faniare is gone, and now I hear the leader of your company and my almost brother and best friend's lover are all dead. Everything I know and love is gone."  
"I'm here."  
"And now I can die in peace," she whispered, leaning her head on my shoulders.  
A thousand thoughts ran through my head, and I could not help but wonder if it was all a jest.  
For I had yet to kiss those soft velvet lips, and never again would I see the sparkle in her dark eyes. Never would I hear her laughter, feel the gentle touch of her light hands, that were cool, yet warm, upon my face or my shoulder. And this simple narrative is far too plain to do justice to the last words of my dear Nessime. And so I write this, for here she lays dead in my arms, I much older, and she more beautiful than ever, looking more alive than I.  
So I write this sweet verseFor a maiden far far sweeterTo meet her was my curseFor if I had not seen her  
My world would go unchangedFor if I had not known herNever touched by her sweet faceI would wander not this world a loner  
For in meeting is partingAnd in parting such sweet sorrowFor the angels call, now harken She shall join them on the morrow  
So ends my tragic taleOf life, and life and deathAnd among my tears and other thingsNessime's last breath  
She said "Come now, my hobbit boy, There's something you must know.I pray me you never join, And where I go, never go."  
In earnest I replied For I detected her intent"With you I'd love to die,I'd follow you to hell and back again."  
So here ends this story, perhaps someday I shall rewrite it. I shall erase all records of Faniare and Nessime from anywhere save for their leather-bound journals and my heart. It will be a tale of a hobbit who found adventure, who confronted that hideous Gollum, but only after entering Rivendell on the day the map could be read. And the treasure will be found, and Thorin, and Fili, and Kili will die. Yet there will be no mention of Nessime, or Faniare, or Beryll, and with me their memory shall die.


End file.
